1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a piezoelectric actuator, a method of producing the piezoelectric actuator, a liquid discharge head including the piezoelectric actuator, and an inkjet printer including the liquid discharge head.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a liquid discharge head which is utilized in an inkjet printer, a piezoelectric actuator causes an oscillation plate forming a wall surface of a compression chamber to deform, so as to apply pressure to ink inside the compression chamber. Then the ink inside the compression chamber is discharged through a nozzle communicating with the compression chamber, and the ink is adhered to a recording medium.
In general, a piezoelectric actuator having an oscillation plate as a substrate has a configuration such that both surfaces of a piezoelectric film are sandwiched and held between two corresponding electrode films. As a piezoelectric material forming the piezoelectric film, for example, lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics has been utilized. Since lead zirconate titanate ceramics includes metal oxide as a main component, in general, it is called “metal composite oxide.”
As a method of producing a piezoelectric actuator, various methods have been conventionally proposed. The applicant of the present application has previously proposed “a method of producing individual electrodes including a step for defining areas for forming plural piezoelectric elements by arranging wall surfaces having at least one communication groove on a substrate; a step for forming a common electrode by applying a common electrode material precursor solution to the areas for forming the piezoelectric elements and the communication groove by an inkjet method, and by baking the applied common electrode material precursor solution; a step for forming a piezoelectric material layer by applying a piezoelectric sol-gel solution to the areas for forming the piezoelectric elements by the inkjet method, and by baking the applied piezoelectric sol-gel solution; and a step for forming the individual electrodes by applying an individual electrode material precursor solution to the areas for forming the piezoelectric elements by the inkjet method, and by baking the applied individual electrode material precursor solution” (cf. Patent Document 1 (Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 2011-018836)).
An objective of the embodiments is to provide a novel piezoelectric actuator producing method that eliminates “the step of forming the wall surfaces having the communication groove” included in the producing method disclosed in Patent Document 1, and that makes it easier to produce a piezoelectric actuator. Further, another objective of the embodiments is to realize a piezoelectric actuator produced by the above producing method, a liquid discharge head including the piezoelectric actuator, and an inkjet printer including the liquid discharge head.